Mr. Ranier's life has been as diverse and broad in coverage as his writing.  After serving in combat as a Flying Fortress commander in World War II, he attended several colleges and earned a graduate degree, but left a promising teaching career and study for a Ph.D, to spend full time writing in solitude, in the wooded mountains of Pennsylvania.   Here, he composed the earliest One Thousand Songs of Earth, and developed an ambitious scheme to dramatize the  four major influences said to shape American civilization: Norse and Scandinavian saga's, Periclean Greece, the Roman Empire at its height, and Arthurian legends.

Practical needs interrupted his Spartan life (walking a mile up the mountain with water from a spring, and having none of the conveniences we now view as necessities, such as electricity, plumbing newspapers, radio, etc.), and he  accepted an incredible array of jobs, from fruit picking and shoe factories to railroads, auto parts retail, munitions handling, and dance instruction.   But his focus never wavered, and he wrote several large works of dramatic poetry, including The Tragedy of Gudrun, (the Sagas’ fulfillment), and The Tragedy of Leoninus (The Greeek fulfillment,), as well as continuing the lyrics.

He had visited the Gettysburg  battlefield during a military tour of duty as an aviation cadet, and was deeply impressed by the courage and heroism displayed by officers and soldiers on both sides, but the character, bearing, and military genius of Robert E. Lee left an indelible imprint, and on returning from world War  II,  he set down what he considered the tragedy of a great man who expended his vast talents for what history has proclaimed the wrong side. Hence, The Drums of Time.

Changing to a Government career, he won several awards and citations, establishing computer centers and integrated information and communication systems around the country. During this period he completed One Thousand Songs of Earth, and laid the groundwork for further lyrical cycles and large conceptual masterworks..

Finally "retiring" to work full time at his chosen tasks, he is completing works in progress, preparing completed manuscripts for publication, and planning new types of endeavor.

The world will profit from his wide-ranging past, as his production is infused with variety, maturity, and a depth of human perception.  We look forward to many exciting works yet to come from his prolific pen.